The present dictionary is the first of a series of Chinese-English technical dictionaries under preparation by the Aerospace Technology Division of the Library of Congress. The purpose of the series is to provide rapid reference tools for translators, abstractors, and research analysts concerned with scientific and technical materials published in Mainland China. This first volume contains over 12,400 terms selected from sources published in Mainland China; a revised and enlarged version will be published with more than 20,000 terms. The terms included relate not only to aeronautical engineering, general aviation, rocket engines, astronavigation, etc., but incorporate vocabulary from the basic sciences and auxiliary technologies closely associated with aviation and space as well (i.e., telecommunications, metallurgy, welding, and aircraft construction). The special features of this dictionary are Mainland Chinese practice in regard to: (1) terminology, (2) style of characters, and (3) complete alphabetic lookup by means of the "pinyin" spelling. Other subject areas in the series will cover nuclear physics, automation and computer technology, electrical and mechanical engineering, surveying, mapping and meteorology, telecommunications, electronics, and rocketry. (Author/JD)